In Montenegro, domestic food is not bought, food imports continue to increase

The "Buy local" campaign in April, in the first month of its implementation, did not affect the reduction of food imports in that period, but it increased in the total amount, as well as for most products.

Food imports in April this year, according to data published by Monstat yesterday, were worth 34,5 million euros, while in the same month of 2017 they amounted to 31,8 million.

The "Buy local" program was launched on April 3 by the ministries of agriculture, economy, the Chamber of Commerce and the largest retail chains. As announced at the time, the goal of the program is to increase the sale of domestic food products, production, employment and reduce imports. Together, the organizers provided 115 euros for marketing promotion and marking of spaces in markets where there are only domestic products. The program covers over 3.000 domestic products.

The import of live animals for food production in April this year amounted to two million euros, while in the same month last year it was worth 2,2 million euros. It is the only category in which food imports decreased.

The import of meat and meat products remained the same, ie at the level of around 7,5 million euros, while the import of milk, dairy products and eggs increased from last year's 4,2 to 4,4 million euros. The import of fish and fish products increased from 0,9 to 1,3 million euros, and grain and grain products from 4,3 to five million euros.

The purchase of imported vegetables and fruits also increased significantly from 4,9 to 5,6 million euros. The import of sugar, sugar products and honey remained at the level of EUR 0,9 million. The import of coffee, tea, cocoa and spices in April amounted to 2,7 million euros, or about 100 thousand euros more than in the same month last year. The import of other food products also increased from 3,1 to 3,3 million euros, as well as animal feed from 1,2 to 1,8 million euros.

The organizers of the "Buy local" program announced at the beginning of April that it will be their long-term commitment, with which they want to point out the importance of buying local products and the impact on the Montenegrin economy. It was also announced that in the continuation of the program, a set of education and advisory support for producers will be implemented in order to improve knowledge and marketing functions, as well as that before the season, they will connect the tourism industry and local producers, so that local food will be more present in hotels and restaurants this summer. .

"According to certain estimates, between 80 and 85 percent of the amount remains for our economy for each product that is purchased and produced in Montenegro. It is this money that affects higher wages, an increase in purchasing power and an increase in the standard of living of citizens. However, the biggest problems of domestic producers are limited production capacities, the impossibility of continuous delivery and the required quantities, insufficiently developed marketing functions. We cannot influence which products will be on the market shelves, but we are in intensive communication with trade chains and are working together to create space for smaller producers", the Ministry of Economy announced at the time.

Total imports increased by 12,7 percent

Montenegro's total foreign trade in goods for the period January-April, according to Monstat's preliminary data, amounted to 851,6 million euros, which indicates a growth of 12,9 percent compared to the same period in 2017. The export of goods increased by 14,3 percent, to 129,2 million euros, and imports by 12,7 percent, to 722,4 million euros, Monstat announced. The coverage of imports by exports amounted to 17,9 percent and is higher compared to the same period of the previous year (17,6%).